Don, Ted, and Ruth were...
Illustration
Don, Ted, and Ruth were brothers and sister. In some ways they were as different from each other as night is to day, but there was one thing that drew them together; all three loved music. From infancy on, their parents, Stan and Joanne, had instilled in them a love of music. Not a day went by without the sound of music.
Although Stan and Joanne were not rich, they had saved enough money to buy musical instruments and to pay for music lessons. Don studied the violin, Ruth studied the piano, and Ted studied cello. They played together in music festivals, in homes for the aged, at school and church, and of course, at home.
The day came when Don headed off to college. He was going to study engineering. Since playing the violin didn't fit in with the image of an engineering student, Don abandoned his desire to play the violin. He didn't even pick it up once he'd graduated and started to work. For Don, the years of making music were a distant memory.
When it was Ruth's turn to head off to college, she chose to study social work. Unlike her brother, Ruth booked practice time on one of the college's pianos. She also arranged to have lessons from one of their private tutors. Ruth earned spending money by playing the piano at a local church. When Ruth graduated, she resumed playing piano as a volunteer at a seniors' home. She also taught piano lessons to children who could not afford to pay.
Ted also went to college. He also wanted to be an engineer. However, unlike Don, he could not live without music. Ted left college before he graduated and started playing cello full time in a small jazz ensemble.
The years went by. Stan and Joanne were pleased with the way Ruth and Ted were using their musical talents. However they worried about Don. They could not understand how he could have buried his love for music so deeply. They were concerned that he was wasting his God-given talent. But they did not want to interfere with his life, so they said nothing.
Then one day, life took a crazy twist. Stan went into the hospital with acute pain. He was diagnosed with cancer and given just a few short months to live. His one desire was to know that Don had gone back to his violin. He'd always assumed that Don would use that talent in his own time. But now, with time running out, he needed to find the right words to speak to Don about using his talent constructively.
Although Stan and Joanne were not rich, they had saved enough money to buy musical instruments and to pay for music lessons. Don studied the violin, Ruth studied the piano, and Ted studied cello. They played together in music festivals, in homes for the aged, at school and church, and of course, at home.
The day came when Don headed off to college. He was going to study engineering. Since playing the violin didn't fit in with the image of an engineering student, Don abandoned his desire to play the violin. He didn't even pick it up once he'd graduated and started to work. For Don, the years of making music were a distant memory.
When it was Ruth's turn to head off to college, she chose to study social work. Unlike her brother, Ruth booked practice time on one of the college's pianos. She also arranged to have lessons from one of their private tutors. Ruth earned spending money by playing the piano at a local church. When Ruth graduated, she resumed playing piano as a volunteer at a seniors' home. She also taught piano lessons to children who could not afford to pay.
Ted also went to college. He also wanted to be an engineer. However, unlike Don, he could not live without music. Ted left college before he graduated and started playing cello full time in a small jazz ensemble.
The years went by. Stan and Joanne were pleased with the way Ruth and Ted were using their musical talents. However they worried about Don. They could not understand how he could have buried his love for music so deeply. They were concerned that he was wasting his God-given talent. But they did not want to interfere with his life, so they said nothing.
Then one day, life took a crazy twist. Stan went into the hospital with acute pain. He was diagnosed with cancer and given just a few short months to live. His one desire was to know that Don had gone back to his violin. He'd always assumed that Don would use that talent in his own time. But now, with time running out, he needed to find the right words to speak to Don about using his talent constructively.
